"Hey, the only attention I want is yours." He blushed and I did too, but we didn't care. Our feelings are already exposed.
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Short stories with our dearest MCND members as main characters
Each part is independent...
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"Where's Minjae?" My mom asked as she joined me.
"Probably talking to his friends." I answered.
"You both should be together. What will people say when they see you at the opposite sides of the room?" She said. I haven't realized that. Of course it's all about image and what people think of us.
Just then, Minjae's mom joined us at our table. Our families share one table because we have the strongest connection and it goes the same at other tables with the other families in our village. The village is consist of high class families known for their honor and nobility. All of us show family virtue and standards but I doubt any of us really live up to that. Everything is just for show.
Tonight, we celebrate our annual ball. It's basically just a fancy dinner, dances, gift exchanges, and updates about our achievements or, what I call, boasting time where we congratulate each other's accomplishments and then trash talk about it behind their backs. It's the same every year and I'm sick and tired of it.
"Why aren't you with Minjae?" His mom said. I sighed. We both practically hate each other but we always have to be together. We became fiancés a few months ago. Usually, the adults arrange the partnership during our teenage years and it's solely for business and image purposes just to appear 'strong' in the eyes of the public. This tradition goes way back our great grand parents' time. Our engagement raised up our families' social ranks and, since then, we have to act as if we have a special bond.
Our peers know that we don't really like each other and I don't know how we're going to make this work especially because Minjae was engaged with Yunseol, the girl he likes, just a couple of years ago but she, unfortunately, got into a car accident and died. Everybody knows how much they like each other but there is no escaping the tradition. This is probably why he hates me; that I have to appear just at his early mourning years, that our parents have to arrange another engagement just for social superiority.
I just shrugged as answer to his mom's question.
"Has he greeted you yet?" My mom asked. "He has to greet you before wandering off. That's basic manners."
I shook my head, "No. We just saw each other briefly at the entrance a while ago and he looked at me as if I'm an alien. Do I look weird?" I asked his mom.
She checked me out for a couple of seconds and said, "Hyerin, your hair looks amazing! And that dress, only you could pull that off. I can say that you're extra beautiful tonight. Ignore whatever look my snob son gave you. He clearly doesn't know what beauty is." She and I get along quite well and she knows how her son treats me regarding this whole engagement thing and she feels sorry for me so she tries her best to comfort me in any way possible.
"I put some extra efforts on my looks today," I said. "Hoping that I could get a compliment."
"Oh, honey, don't look for your worth in a man's compliment." She said. "And besides, Minjae isn't good with compliments. He's the same as his father."
